High school football | Tough tests await county teams in week 8

Centre County teams didn’t fare well again, as State College recorded the only win among six teams.

Despite a down week, there is opportunity for bounce-back games. State College hosts Cumberland Valley, Bellefonte travels to Chestnut Ridge, Philipsburg-Osceola welcomes Clearfield, Penns Valley goes to Tyrone, St. Joseph’s plays at Marion Center and Bald Eagle Area has Jersey Shore at home.

Here’s a look at this week’s matchups.

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The skinny: State College handled Central Dauphin East 35-7 last week, and it was due in large part to Lyons’ running.

Even though Jordan Misher is normally the bell cow back, Lyons took over last Friday, rushing for 227 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. It’ll be interesting how the Little Lions’ backfield shakes out.

Meanwhile, another running tandem could give State College fits. Cumberland Valley is led by Heikel, who has totaled 581 yards and eight touchdowns this season, but fellow senior Nicholas Rhodes has also contributed 546 yards and four touchdowns.

Bellefonte (2-6) at Chestnut Ridge (5-3)

Time: 7 p.m.

Coaches: Belle — Shanon Manning (third season); CR — Max Shoemaker

Last meeting: Chestnut Ridge 31, Bellefonte 0, last season

Players to watch: Belle — Nick Jabco; CR — Logan Hauck

The skinny: Bellefonte fell 55-20 last week to Central, but Jabco provided a bit of a spark for the Red Raiders. The wide receiver scampered for a 45-yard touchdown, and he’s been used recently in wildcat sets.

It’ll be interesting to see how Jabco is used against Chestnut Ridge.

The Lions will look to spread the ball around against through Hauck. The sophomore quarterback completed passes to seven different receivers in last week’s win over Penns Valley, and totaled 184 yards and two touchdowns on 20 of 29 attempts.

The skinny: A week after allowing Huntingdon’s Jon Wagner a total of 217 rushing yards on 14 carries, the Mounties face another dangerous back.

Caldwell racked up 117 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries against Bald Eagle Area last week, and could do similar work against P-O.

For P-O, Anderson is a key cog offensively, and his status will be worth keeping an eye on. Anderson missed the second half of last week’s game with his left knee wrapped on the sideline.

Jersey Shore (6-2) at Bald Eagle Area (1-7)

Time: 7 p.m.

Coaches: JS — Tom Gravish; BEA — Ron Hoover (second season)

Last meeting: Jersey Shore 33, BEA 0, last season

Players to watch: JS — Levi Lorson; BEA — Tanner Kresovich

The skinny: BEA is coming off a 49-12 loss to Clearfield, yielding 275 rushing yards to the Bison.

The Eagles will need to tighten up its rush defense against Jersey Shore’s Lorson, who has ran over opponents this year with ease. The senior has carried the rock 249 times for 1,528 yards and 14 touchdowns.

BEA will look to Kresovich for offense. The quarterback, despite seven interceptions this year, has totaled seven of BEA’s nine offensive touchdowns (three passing, four rushing).

Penns Valley (2-6) at Tyrone (6-2)

Time: 7 p.m.

Coaches: PV — Martin Tobias (20th season); T — Jason Wilson

Last meeting: Tyrone 41, Penns Valley 7, last season

Players to watch: PV — Ben Alexander; T — Drew Hunter

The skinny: Penns Valley is reeling from a 23-12 loss to Chestnut Ridge last week, while Tyrone is brimming with confidence coming off its fifth win in its last six games.

The Rams will rely offensively on Alexander, who caught a 55-yard touchdown and even returned a kick 80 yards to the house to account for Penns Valley’s lone scores against the Lions.

For the Golden Eagles, most of the scoring goes through Hunter.

Running back Gary Weaver III (929 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns) is also a threat, but Hunter has accumulated 1,348 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air while giving away just four interceptions.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy (1-7) at Marion Center (1-7)

Time: 7 p.m.

Coaches: SJCA — Dave Carson (third season); MC — Dave Malicky

Last meeting: SJCA 36, Marion Center 16, last season

Players to watch: SJCA — Charlie Ross; MC — Zach Edwards

The skinny: The Wolves couldn’t hold off Purchase Line last week, but Ross had himself a big game. Ross totaled three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) and finished with nine catches for 116 yards.

SJCA will look for a similar performance against Marion Center, which is trying to rebound from a 26-6 loss to Northern Cambria last week.

The Stingers’ wasn’t doing too much offensively, but they do have a capable runner in Edwards. The fullback carried the ball 21 times for 85 yards.